Cognitive Dynamicshttp://www.cognitivedynamics.org
Bringing Art to LifeSat, 29 Jul 2017 00:17:12 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5Bringing Art to Life Research Presented at IAGG 2017http://www.cognitivedynamics.org/2017/07/bringing-art-to-life-research-presented-at-iagg-2017/
Fri, 28 Jul 2017 23:46:50 +0000http://www.cognitivedynamics.org/?p=1368The Bringing Art to Life (BATL) Research Team presented an abstract titled “The Effects of an Intergenerational Service Learning Experience on Ageist Attitudes” highlighting outcomes data from University of Alabama Honors students enrolled inUH 300: Art to Lifeat the 21stIAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatricsin San Francisco on July 25, 2017.

UH 300: Art to Lifeis an Honors service learning class offered at the University of Alabama as part of our foundation’sBringing Art to Life(BATL) program. Students learn about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, participate in theVirtual Dementia Tour, volunteer at anadult dementia daycare center, participate in mindfulness activities, develop an appreciation for the challenges of caregiving, and learn the tenets of person-centered care. In the experiential part of the course, students are paired with persons living with dementia, and participate in weekly art therapy sessions facilitated by an experienced art therapist. Students develop relationships with their participants, learn their life stories, and create a leather-bound life legacy book usingLifeBio.com, presenting this to their participants and their families in acelebratory dinnerat the end of the semester.

A research team from theAlabama Research Institute on Agingand the UA Department of Psychology led by Keisha Ivey, MA and Rebecca Allen, PhD has been conducting research since 2015, and the current abstract addresses student data from pre-and post surveys measuring empathy and attitudes toward older adults, persons living with dementia and community service.

Compared with student controls from a psychology of aging course, BATL students exhibited statistically significant improvement in attitudes towards persons living with dementiaand toward community service, as well as greater increases in empathy.

Research will be ongoing, and will involve analysis of the program’s impact on participating persons living with dementia and their caregivers.

For more information on Bringing Art to Life, read this Huffington Post article byAngel C. Duncan, MA, MFT-ATR, the Executive Arts Director for Cognitive Dynamics who helped to create the program: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/angel-duncan/bringing-art-to-life-an-i_b_9619446.html

From left to right, Dr. Anne Halli-Tierney, Dr. Rebecca Allen, and Dr. Daniel C. Potts at the 21st IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics

]]>“Do You Know Me Now? Wins Silver Remi Awardhttp://www.cognitivedynamics.org/2017/06/do-you-know-me-now-wins-silver-remi-award/
Sat, 24 Jun 2017 18:32:49 +0000http://www.cognitivedynamics.org/?p=1360Do You Know Me Now?, a short documentary about personhood and relationships in Alzheimer’s and other Dementias from Cognitive Dynamics, has won a Silver Remi Award from theWorldfest Houston International Film Festival.

The documentary highlights the lives and stories of two Canadian and two American persons with dementia (Rita Houston, Joan Borrie, Ed Feil and Lester E. Potts, Jr.) and their care partners, Dr. James Houston, Cathie Borrie, Naomi Feil and Ethelda Potts.

The documentary demonstrates how personhood persists despite dementia, and shows ways by which these care partners were able to tap into that personhood and build meaningful relationships and experience joy in the moment.

The documentary will eventually be made available for purchase and download. Please watch future news posts from our website for further information.

]]>Lester Potts’ Art Now Available on LestersLegacy.comhttp://www.cognitivedynamics.org/2017/06/lester-potts-art-now-available-on-lesterslegacy-com/
Sun, 18 Jun 2017 01:06:18 +0000http://www.cognitivedynamics.org/?p=1349The watercolor art of Lester E. Potts, Jr., an artist with Alzheimer’s disease, is now available for purchase athttp://www.lesterslegacy.com/.

Lester, a rural Alabama saw miller, had never painted until after the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Lester’s newly-found creativity improved his quality of life and had many other benefits. His art has been shown from Beverly Hills to Paris, has been the subject of research, and appears in articles, textbooks, devotional books and documentaries.

Lester’s art has been used as a tool of engagement and reminiscence between care givers and persons with dementia.

Prints of Lester’s art are available in different sizes on thehttp://www.lesterslegacy.com/website. In addition, 5 styles of greeting cards are available, with short verses composed by Daniel C. Potts, MD, FAAN on the back covers of each.

If you are not interested in purchasing, you may simply peruse the beautiful art that appears on the page.

Proceeds from the sale of all products appearing onhttp://www.lesterslegacy.com/go toward supporting the mission and programs of Cognitive Dynamics

The conference is sponsored by theDementia Action Alliance, and brings together the diverse dementia community for inspiring discussions, learning experiences, and engaging interactions.

Potts and Duncan will highlightBringing Art to Life, an innovative program developed in collaboration with the University of Alabama Honors College which brings art therapy and life story preservation to persons with Alzheimer’s disease and others causes of dementia and their caregivers.

]]>Musical Concert to benefit Cognitive Dynamicshttp://www.cognitivedynamics.org/2017/02/musical-concert-to-benefit-cognitive-dynamics/
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 03:24:16 +0000http://www.cognitivedynamics.org/?p=1340Well-known Birmingham, Alabama acoustic music venue,Moonlight on the Mountain, will host a night of Bluegrass, Gospel, Folk, and Barbershop music on March 4, 2017 at 7:30 pm, benefiting Cognitive Dynamics Foundation and its programs.

Proceeds and donations from the event will go to support Cognitive Dynamics Foundation’s programs that improve quality of life for people with dementia and their caregivers through the arts and storytelling, such asBringing Art to Life.

The cost of admission is $20, CASH ONLY. Food and drink may be brought in, and doors open at 7 pm.

The address of the venue is 585 Shades Crest Road, Birmingham, Alabama 35226.

]]>Cognitive Dynamics Launches Bringing Art to Life Chicagohttp://www.cognitivedynamics.org/2016/06/cognitive-dynamics-launches-bringing-art-to-life-chicago/
Fri, 10 Jun 2016 02:04:18 +0000http://www.cognitivedynamics.org/?p=1334Cognitive Dynamics Foundation has launched Bringing Art to Life Chicago, an innovative art therapy program for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. The program will be based on the past 5 years’ success ofBringing Art to Lifein partnership with the University of Alabama Honors College in the service learning course,UH Art to Life.

The program will bring art therapy and the opportunity for empathic, intergenerational relationships to persons with dementia and students in the Chicago area, as well as education and support for their caregivers.

Our team includes Project Directors and former UA Art to Life students, Angela Ray and Cyrus Alavi, Lead Physician and Rush University Neurologist, Neelum Aggarwal, MD, and VA Lead, Kevin Hull, JD.

The program is supported in part by theHigh Socks for Hope Foundation, a nonprofit started by Chicago White Sox pitcher, David Robertson and his wife, Erin. The photographs below were made at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago at a recent fundraiser hosted by High Socks for Hope.

]]>Cognitive Dynamics and UA to Host Art Galahttp://www.cognitivedynamics.org/2016/04/cognitive-dynamics-and-ua-to-host-art-gala/
Fri, 08 Apr 2016 22:00:14 +0000http://www.cognitivedynamics.org/?p=1331To all former students & participants in the Art to Life program at the University of Alabama Honors College:

Cognitive Dynamics requests the honor of your presence at a gala celebrating 5 years of our Art to Life program. We want to honor our former participants, their families and all former students, as well as other organizations and individuals who have made this program possible. There will be a brief program in the Ferguson Center Theater at just after 6 pm, and then a gallery viewing of art created by our former participants.

We thank all of you for making this program what it is, and we want to honor you. We hope you can join us on the 19th.

The art and information about the program will be on display in the Ferguson Center Gallery from April 12th through the 22nd, and the Gallery will be open from 8 am until 10 pm for viewing.

]]>Art to Life: A Celebration – A Short Filmhttp://www.cognitivedynamics.org/2016/04/art-to-life-a-celebration-a-short-film/
Sun, 03 Apr 2016 04:14:00 +0000http://www.cognitivedynamics.org/?p=1328This video by Lauren Musgrove documents a celebratory dinner held on 12/8/2015 for the University of Alabama Honors College service learning course “Art to Life,” developed by Cognitive Dynamics Foundation in collaboration with the University. The course pairs undergraduate students of diverse majors with persons who have Alzheimer’s disease or other causes of dementia in an empathy and relationship-building art therapy, reminiscence and storytelling experience. To honor their participants, students host an end-of-semester gala at which leather-bound legacy books fromLifeBio.comare presented to the participants and their families. These books contain student letters, poetry, participant art and life story material. Students also give the participants the art they have created over the semester, and share stories and words of thanks to honor and validate the personhood of their new friends.

]]>Bringing Art to Life Program Featured in Mosaic Magazinehttp://www.cognitivedynamics.org/2016/02/bringing-art-to-life-program-featured-in-mosaic-magazine/
Mon, 15 Feb 2016 21:37:06 +0000http://www.cognitivedynamics.org/?p=1316University of Alabama Honors College Mosaic Magazine has published an article by Rachel Wilburn titled “A New Beginning.” The article highlights Cognitive Dynamics Foundation’sBringing Art to Lifeprogram, offered as an undergraduate service learning course (UH 300: Art to Life).

]]>Marley and Potts Publish “Finding Joy in Alzheimer’s: New Hope for Caregivers”http://www.cognitivedynamics.org/2016/01/marley-and-potts-publish-finding-joy-in-alzheimers-new-hope-for-caregivers/
Tue, 26 Jan 2016 03:30:09 +0000http://www.cognitivedynamics.org/?p=1312Here is an excerpt from the back cover of the book: “Here’s a hope-filled book about Alzheimer’s caregiving. It was written by Marie Marley, PhD – a well-known author on dementia issues – and neurologist Daniel C. Potts, MD, FAAN, both experts on caregiving. With a Foreword by Maria Shriver, this groundbreaking volume will give you hope in the midst of the darkness of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. You can come to terms with your loved one’s condition and free yourself to experience joyous interactions. Part I covers a variety of issues, such as the authors’ belief that people with Alzheimer’s can still enjoy life, how to overcome denial, five especially difficult situations, the role of grief on the journey to acceptance, and letting go of resentment through making peace with God. In Part II the authors provide 55 helpful tips for visiting people with Alzheimer’s. Part III consists of numerous short stories illustrating the authors’ joyous interactions with their loved ones. The stories will warm your heart and light your way along the path to achieving true joy.”
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